#107 - What's News Worth?

Last week, Google quietly announced a test that could shift the power balance between tech platforms and news publishers. They'll hide news results from EU publishers for some users to measure how much people actually value news in their search results.

For years, publishers have insisted their content is crucial for search engines , while Google has downplayed its importance . We've already seen Facebook remove news from feeds in some countries without much fallout. And now AI can take multiple news stories and bundle them into neat summaries, making us less likely to click through to individual articles.

The stakes are high. If users barely notice the missing news content, it could weaken publishers' bargaining power and force a rethink of their business models. But if readers' search experience suffers, publishers will finally have proof of their value. The bigger picture, though, is how AI is transforming the game entirely. When AI systems can create comprehensive summaries from multiple sources, the value isn't in generating clicks to similar articles - it's in providing unique, authoritative reporting that stands out. Publishers' real challenge ahead isn't just proving their worth to search engines, but finding new ways to be valued in an AI-powered world where quality and originality matter more than traffic and keywords.

*Related: Media management consulting firm Activate estimates 15 million people in the US are already using AI answer engines rather than traditional Google . By 2028, Activate expects that to rise to 36 million.

AI

Has AI progress plateaued? According to The Information internal OpenAI tests of their next model (Orion), suggest recent AI improvements are smaller than the dramatic leaps seen between earlier GPT versions.

Google's AI tools are gaining momentum. NotebookLM, their AI note-taking assistant, has seen rapid user growth . Now they launch a new experiment, Learn About, offering an interactive way to explore topics through AI-guided learning.

Short

• New BCG Report: AI leaders are investing heavily in AI beyond basic productivity tools. Link
• Microsoft shared 210 AI success stories across various industries. Link
• Harvard study confirms generative AI is already significantly impacting the job market. Link
• OpenAI is preparing to launch "Operator," an AI agent designed to automate user tasks. Link
• ChatGPT's Mac app update adds screen-viewing capability, enabling direct interaction with desktop applications. Link

NEWS

Perplexity's move to introduce advertising indicates the limits of subscription-only models for AI search engines. The company admitted that publishers and content creators can't be fairly compensated through subscriptions alone , making ads necessary for sustainable revenue sharing.

Particle , a long-in-the-works new news platform is out. Using AI it organizes articles into collections with customizable bullet points. Users can choose different summary styles - from balanced "Opposite Sides" views to simplified "Explain Like I'm 5" breakdowns.

• New data shows that young news consumption divides by gender: women favor TikTok while men prefer YouTube, X, and Reddit. Link
• The Telegraph launches new AI tools monthly, focusing on newsroom workflows, reader services, and data discovery. Link
• Verma Sonali had conversations with more than 135 publishers around the world on how they are using AI. Here’s an overview of what she has learned.

AUDIO/VIDEO

Spotify's video ambitions are growing clearer: After reaching 250 million video podcast viewers and 60% annual growth, they're now rolling out new creator tools focused on elevating the video discovery and viewing experiences. The platform's 300,000 video shows signal a direct challenge to YouTube's dominance.

Meanwhile Spotify and TikTok are taking their partnership to the next level. The two platforms have joined forces to give users the ability to save songs to their Spotify libraries from within the TikTok app. Now, a new integration will turn TikTok into a veritable recommendation engine for songs, podcasts, and audiobooks on Spotify.

Short:

• After creating the market for on-demand TV, Netflix is venturing into live programming with cooking, wrestling and football.
• The Rebooting published “The state of publisher video strategies”. One observation: While 80% use video and it appears on 65% of pages, only 23% are satisfied with their video experience. Link

SHORT

• Several French news publishers including Le Monde, Le Figaro and Le Parisian are suing X for copyright violation.
• The Guardian decided it won’t post on X anymore.
• Spotify announces a new monetization program for creators.
• Eleven Lab launches a hub for for turning books into audiobooks and scripts into podcasts.
• Google now has a Gemini app.
• WonderTools tests AI tools for analyzing data .

SOCIAL

Australia's proposed social media ban for under-16s reaches far beyond traditional platforms. While it would naturally affect Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, the law's broad definition could also restrict teens' access to YouTube, gaming platforms like Roblox, and chat services like Discord.

The U.S. faces its own potential shift in digital regulation. With Trump's possible return to the White House, questions loom about how a second Trump administration might reshape social media rules - particularly given his past conflicts with major platforms.

App tracking data from Appfigures reveals Teemu led Gen Z's most downloaded apps in 2024 , reaching 33.2 million U.S. downloads.

READ?

Does public service media crowd out private news publishers? New research says it doesn't. A new Swiss study confirms what research has shown in the past: that public service news increase interest in what private publishers are offering.

?Must read of the week: Spotify’s Co-President, CTO, and CPO Gustav S?derstr?m talks about AI music, Notebook LM podcasts, and the nuance of building better discovery using LLMs. He's by far one of the most advanced thinkers in the field and offers some thought-provoking perspectives.

That's it for this week! As always Wayfinder is made to travel - so feel free to share with friends and colleagues.